I think it is a good idea for everyone to read the Bible. It's part of being educated, don't you think? There are so many references in popular culture and in literature that you won't understand if you have no familiarity with these books. And it's definitely useful for agnostics or atheists to know what and why they are not. : )

Read the whole thing in different translations , found it wanting ,
Read the Tao , Hindi books , much more to life

Love this....very good speech about Bible
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Have a friend who is Southern Baptist who was shocked that I had read the entire Bible, where he had not. I was young and still spotted contradictions in the bible and even bigger ones when it comes to the way churches teach it.
I have to say I have read some of the Vedic verses, Eddas and others. Most are better reads than the Bible.

Bits and pieces. I could NOT quote scripture. But I do know a bit about it from learning. I'd like to learn a LOT more just for my arsenal.

A couple times for KJV. Read parts of other versions for comparison. Also read Torah and other Abrahamic writings. Finally gave up because it was never going to make sense.

Couldn't get through Genesis without getting hung up on the contradictory explanation of the creation of Eve and other unanswered questions. Did God create 'man, he and she alike' or from the rib of Adam? If the Old Testament is taken from the Jewish scriptures, why are some things glossed over or removed? Without logic, I abandoned trying.

Enough, thank you.

Read it twice. Its rather silly.

I have read the entire thing; but this was when I was having doubts about it and wanted to know what was actually in it--cover to cover. It was incredibly tedious at times, but I made it through.

I couldn't get past all the "begat" nonsense. Besides, I only like reading non-fiction.

At one time, I really wanted to believe. I just can't. My sister read something about a genetic component that allows some to suspend disbelief but not everyone has it. I evidently don't. I did, however, read the Bible cover to cover with the exception of skimming Numbers. The more I read, the more I disbelieved. So little made sense. I guess I lack the ability to read it with my heart rather than my brain. Ha.

Sad to say but I once believed in it so I read it. One bright point is that it did help me become atheist.

It was compulsory reading when I was at school and I loathed it. I don't have to drink cyanide to know that it is poisonous. Would I read it cover to cover, again, so I could debate it with the believers and prolong the horror story?

I use to read Grimm's Fairy Tales to my daughter. When I read Hansel and Gretel and I came to the part where the wood cutter abandoned the children in the woods, my daughter asked me: "'daddy did he really abandon the children in the woods?" When I replied yes she said: "That's wicked, now read it again."

The problem with the Bible is it starts with the Old Testament. After forcing myself through that, I ran out of willpower.

As a small child, my parents used the illustrated Children's Bible for bedtime stories. ...Yeah, think about that.
As a teen, I read it on my own, in its entirety.
Now after 2 decades of non-belief, I refer to isolated scriptural references from time to time to make a point about Christian ridiculousness, inconsistencies, and outright horrendous morals. See? It's still useful!

Read most when I was a pre-teen and found it very confusing. I've forgotten most of it since I gave up on church when I was thirteen.

Read it cover to cover a few times, but then read parts of it hundreds of times for bible study lesson prep, that kind of thing.

Need another option. Ten years of Jewish Sunday School nightmare-remember this much-a book titled Pathways through the Bible which translated into modern day English, focusing completely on Old Testament and how it related to Judaism.

I don't usually read fiction.